Hello. My name is Elis and I am 'Evershed's Cider'. I have always liked real cider and I hate waste so after a steep decline in my main line of work I decided to have a go at cider making instead. I collect up unwanted apples from local gardens and orchards and I collect up unwanted glass bottles from a couple of pub/restaurants. It means that my ciders vary enormously in flavour and alcohol content (because of the apples - not the bottles!). I have been doing it now for 2 years and have not earned enough make a profit yet but I am slowly getting there. I do worry about accurate alcohol calculations (particularly as I sell the cider) and was thinking about perhaps getting an Ebulliometer (I currently use a hydrometer). I'd be interested to know what others think about them. Cheers!
I am Evershed's Cider!
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graysalchemy
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Welcome to the forum Elis. :thumb:
fbsf
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Welcome along!
How did you find the HMRC when it comes to selling the cider? Was registering much of a pain in the rear?
How did you find the HMRC when it comes to selling the cider? Was registering much of a pain in the rear?
Re: Selling the cider and HMRC.
HMRC were very helpful. I am only making a miniscule amount of cider (1200 litres last year) so I didn't have to register but I rang them anyway because it was a bit unclear about whether or not you had to register and then claim an exemption (which you can if you produce less than 70 hectolitres i.e. 7000 litres). Anyway, the chap I spoke to said I did not need to register. It is only if there is the possibility of coming somewhere near the exemption limit (or if you have reached it in the past) that you need to register.
I find it is a bit like with tax or with licensing (Temporary Event Notices and the like), it is always best to speak to the people on the phone to clarify matters.
HMRC were very helpful. I am only making a miniscule amount of cider (1200 litres last year) so I didn't have to register but I rang them anyway because it was a bit unclear about whether or not you had to register and then claim an exemption (which you can if you produce less than 70 hectolitres i.e. 7000 litres). Anyway, the chap I spoke to said I did not need to register. It is only if there is the possibility of coming somewhere near the exemption limit (or if you have reached it in the past) that you need to register.
I find it is a bit like with tax or with licensing (Temporary Event Notices and the like), it is always best to speak to the people on the phone to clarify matters.
Hi & Welcome
If you don't mind me asking is the red tape easy to get though to be able to sell?
I ask not because I want to sell my wine as such, but because many of my colleagues ask if they can buy my wine off me, one even asked to buy 12 bottles for Xmas. But obviously it's illegal to sell so always decline.
If you don't mind me asking is the red tape easy to get though to be able to sell?
I ask not because I want to sell my wine as such, but because many of my colleagues ask if they can buy my wine off me, one even asked to buy 12 bottles for Xmas. But obviously it's illegal to sell so always decline.
graysalchemy
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MandiNKel said:
What Elis is talking about is CIDER which has a very different set of rules to wine and beers. Not only would you need to be registered as a producer for wine and beer but to sell to the general public you would need a licence as well. So yes it is still very illegal. :nono: :nono:
graysalchemy
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Quite simple it was designed to encourage farmers to produce cider and not grub out ancient apple orchards. 
graysalchemy
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piddledribble said:
Is that why they are prone to talking a lot of Bull Sh*t :rofl: :rofl:
Elis said:
Well, ought to be more accurate than a hydrometer.
I recently got a refractometer, not a fancy expensive one, and what it says tallies more closely with what I'd expect from known sugars than my hydrometer, which tends to the optimistic (compared with known sugars calcs)
Steam brew
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As some one who worked making cider for many years we tested a small sample of apples before pressing with a referactometer again after pressing and after ferment using a set of tables to calculate the 3 figures which gave a very good alcohol reading I think the table is on uk cider web site hope helps :
